Large-Area, High-Resolution Tree Cover Mapping with Multi-Temporal SPOT5 Imagery, New South Wales, Australia

This paper describes a dramatic fall in rabbit populations in a large area of semiarid north-western New South Wales, due to a severe drought, and the increase in numbers which followed. The reduction in numbers differed markedly in different land systems. The areas which supported rabbit populations throughout the study were limited to the proximity of swamps in sandy habitats, and close to drainage channels in stony habitats; populations became extinct over large areas of sandy habitats. In the stony habitats populations increased very rapidly in the 12 months following the breaking of the drought, whereas in the sandy habitats it took c. 3 y before a noticeable increase. The difference was probably a result of differences in survival, due mainly to the effects of predation and to the availability of open warrens. In sandy habitats drift sand buried untenanted warrens very rapidly. The environment affected not only rabbits but also their main predators, the fox and the cat. No cats and very few foxes were observed in stony habitats. The main activities of both species were confined to refuge areas in sandy habitats. The most significant correlation between indices of rabbit numbers and indices of use of rabbit warrens was the number of active burrows per unit area of habitat.

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The Abundance of Kangaroos in Suboptimal Habitats: Wheat, Intensive Pastoral, and Mallee

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr9820221 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 221 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J Short ◽

GC Grigg

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Significant Proportion ◽

South Australia ◽

Agricultural Practices ◽

Aerial Survey ◽

Tree Cover ◽

South Eastern ◽

South Wales ◽

Western Victoria

The densities of red and grey kangaroos in western Victoria and south-eastern South Australia were assessed by aerial survey. Much of the 133000-km2 area surveyed was farmed intensively for wheat and sheep but a significant proportion was largely unaltered mallee woodland or mallee heath. Of the total area, 85% had a density of less than one kangaroo per square kilometre, and 32% had a density of less than 0.01 km-2, values considerably lower than those reported for pastoral areas in New South Wales and South Australia. Low densities in settled areas are attributed to intensive agricultural practices, small landholdings and lack of tree cover. Low densities in mallee may be due to the lack of palatable grasses and the absence of permanent watering points.

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Relationships between Tree Cover and Grass Dominance in a Grazed Temperate Stringybark (Eucalyptus laevopinea) Open-Forest

Australian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1071/bt97011 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 49 ◽

Cited By ~ 13

Author(s):

Lisa Gibbs ◽

Nick Reid ◽

R. D. B. Whalley

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Tree Cover ◽

Herbaceous Species ◽

Mature Tree ◽

Root Zones ◽

South Wales ◽

Open Forest ◽

Tree Canopies ◽

Microlaena Stipoides

Dominance of herbaceous species was examined in relation to tree cover in lightly grazed stringybark Eucalyptus laevopinea open-forest recovering from ringbarking and logging on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales (NSW). The dominant herb was recorded in 121 quadrats (0.25 m2) in 24 plots (10 × 10) stratified by tree cover (beneath trees, away from trees, and amongst small sapling stands). Aristida ramosa dominated the grassy understorey in interspaces, whereas Microlaena stipoides was the most frequent dominant beneath and near tree cover. Poa sieberiana was also more abundant beneath trees. Dominance varied in sapling stands between these three species, suggesting that tree invasion triggers herbaceous succession away from A. ramosa towards M. stipoides and P. sieberiana. It is suggested that year-long green, shade-tolerant grasses such as M. stipoides are better suited to the shaded, fertile, frost-protected environment beneath mature tree canopies, and deep-rooted, summer-active grasses such as A. ramosa are favoured away from the canopies and root zones of trees.

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Models of the distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals in the eucalypt forests of south-eastern New South Wales

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr97112 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 25 (5) ◽

pp. 449 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

P. C. Catling ◽

R. J. Burt ◽

R. I. Forrester

Keyword(s):

Environmental Variables ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Natural Disturbances ◽

Large Area ◽

South Eastern ◽

South Wales ◽

Arboreal Marsupials ◽

Eucalypt Forests ◽

Habitat Variables

We examined the relationship between ground-dwelling mammals and the environment within 500 000 ha of eucalypt forest in south-eastern New South Wales. Ground-dwelling mammals were surveyed at 368 sites in 13 areas in relation to four habitat variables/factors, seven environmental variables, and two derived variables (‘disturbance’ and ‘prey abundance’). Habitat variables are vegetative variables such as eucalypt community and forest structure that may be altered by man (e.g. logging) or natural disturbances (e.g. wildfire). Environmental variables are climatic or topographic variables such as rainfall or lithology that cannot be altered by man or natural disturbances. Statistical models are presented of the distribution and abundance of ground-dwelling mammals in temperate eucalypt forests. From studies of the prediction of eucalypt species from environmental variables and the distribution of arboreal marsupials it has been possible previously to map the predicted density of arboreal marsupials for a large area of south-eastern New South Wales. It would be difficult to do the same for the ground-dwelling mammals because of the importance of structural variables and the influence of disturbance on structure. However, there appears to be a positive relationship between the abundance of some ground-dwelling mammals and environmental variables such as the lithology nutrient rating. Many past studies of fauna have stratified sampling on broad climatic and terrain variables and not included an adequate proportion of the structural variation, which may remain concealed as a large part of the unexplained variation. This may be the single most important problem facing reliable modelling and prediction of patterns of biodiversity in eucalypt forests.

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High-resolution seismic imagery of palaeochannels near West Wyalong, New South Wales

Exploration Geophysics ◽

10.1071/eg00383 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 31 (1-2) ◽

pp. 383-388 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Christopher Leslie ◽

Leonie Jones ◽

Éva Papp ◽

Kevin Wake-Dyster ◽

Tara J. Deen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Resolution ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

South Wales

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Cost-effective landscape revegetation and restoration of a grazing property on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales: 65 years of change and adaptation at ‘Eastlake'

The Rangeland Journal ◽

10.1071/rj17110 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 39 (6) ◽

pp. 461 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gordon Terrell Williams

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Business Plan ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Tree Cover ◽

Pasture Production ◽

South Wales ◽

The Right ◽

Farm Business

This paper describes the restoration of woody vegetation on my family’s grazing property, ‘Eastlake’ (1202 ha) on the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales. We commenced revegetating ‘Eastlake’ in 1981 to reverse the loss of native tree cover due to New England dieback and improve shelter for livestock and pastures to increase farm profitability. We treated the revegetation program as a long-term business investment and, apart from a 5-year period of overseas employment, have allocated annual funding in the farm business plan ever since. Our decision was based on the benefits of shelter to livestock and pasture production. Once we began revegetation, aesthetics, amenity and the positive impact on the capital value of the farm became important motivations. More recently, increasing the farm’s biodiversity and resilience, and conserving native flora and fauna, have also motivated us. Our strategy is to link upland areas of remnant timber with ridgeline corridors of planted vegetation to maximise shelter, minimise pasture production losses and provide dispersal corridors for fauna and wildlife habitat. Initially, we planted introduced species of tree and shrub, but now we revegetate mainly with native species, as well as fencing off remnant timber to encourage natural regeneration and direct seeding understorey species (mainly acacias) in degraded remnants and elsewhere. Our target is to increase the area of fenced-off and planted timber cover from 8% to 10% over the next few years, which will take the proportion of total effective timber cover from ~8% in 1980 to 18% of the property. The key lessons are to: (1) plan, prepare, plant the right tree or shrub in the right place for the right purpose, and post-planting care (the ‘4 Ps’); (2) integrate revegetation into the whole-farm business plan; (3) finance the work slowly over time with the aid of a spatial farm plan; and (4) adapt to changing circumstances, values and understanding. Research is required to help farmers understand the role of on-farm biodiversity in contributing to the health of the farm business, owner–managers and their families and the farm environment, as well as to regional economies, communities, landscapes and society more generally.

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A revision of the Australian endemic water beetle genus Gymnanthelius Perkins (Coleoptera: Hydraenidae)

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.585.1.1 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 585 (1) ◽

pp. 1 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Philip D. Perkins

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

High Resolution ◽

Male Genitalia ◽

Digital Images ◽

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Online Version ◽

South Wales ◽

Water Beetle ◽

Geographic Distributions

The Australian endemic water beetle genus Gymnanthelius Perkins is revised, based on the study of 1,995 specimens. Five new species are described: G. lamingtonensis (Queensland, Lamington, Binna Burra), G. maxipunctus (New South Wales), G. opacicollis (Victoria, Traralgon Creek., 0.2 km N. Hogg Bridge , 5.0 km NNW Balook), G. porchi (Victoria, Possum Hollow Falls, W. br. Tarwin River, 5.6 km SSW Allambee), and G. tunicus (Victoria, Traralgon Creek., 0.2 km N. Hogg Bridge , 5.0 km NNW Balook). A key to the eight known species is given. High resolution digital images of all holotypes are presented (online version in color), geographic distributions are mapped, and the male genitalia are illustrated. Available microhabitat data indicate that Gymnan-

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Estimating the abundance of eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) in south-eastern New South Wales, Australia

Wildlife Research ◽

10.1071/wr05021 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 33 (2) ◽

pp. 93 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

A. R. Pople ◽

S. C. Cairns ◽

N. Menke ◽

N. Payne

Keyword(s):

New South ◽

New South Wales ◽

Aerial Survey ◽

Tree Cover ◽

Harvest Management ◽

Transect Line ◽

South Wales ◽

Ground Survey ◽

Grazing Lands ◽

The Impact

To provide an estimate of kangaroo numbers for harvest management, a survey was designed for an area of 29 500 km2 encompassing the agricultural and grazing lands of the Braidwood, Cooma, Goulburn, Gundagai and Yass Rural Lands Protection Board (RLPB) districts in south-east New South Wales. An aerial survey using a helicopter was considered more efficient than ground survey because of the size of the area, relatively high relief and dense tree cover, and the need for regular monitoring. Tree cover and landscape relief was used to stratify the five RLPB districts into areas of probable high, medium and low kangaroo density. Kangaroo density estimated from helicopter surveys conducted in the Northern Tablelands of New South Wales was used to suggest densities and thereby allocate survey effort in each stratum. A survey comprising 735 km of transect line was conducted in winter 2003 with a target precision of 20%. The survey returned an estimate of 286 600 ± 32 300 eastern grey kangaroos for the whole of the proposed south-east New South Wales kangaroo-management zone. In 2004, a trial harvest of slightly less than 15% of this estimate was taken. Success of the trial will be determined by the impact of harvesting on the population’s dynamics, by landholder and industry participation, and by the capacity to monitor population size, harvest offtake and compliance with regulations.

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